Joe GuzzardiHow the exploding human population affects Lodi, too

Wrapping our minds around the concept of 7 billion people, the
earth's population, is tough. Even though the sum is liberally
tossed around in everyday language, a billion of anything is beyond
comprehension. A billion minutes ago would put us back into the
time of Christ; a billion hours was 115,000 years ago and a billion
days is the equivalent of three million years.

I can understand why so many laymen ignore population issues —
although I wish they wouldn't. The numbers are staggeringly high,
the problem is weighty, seemingly beyond correction, and the worst
of overpopulation's consequences won't occur until our generation
has passed. Americans, and especially politicians, are great at
looking the other way and passing the toughest problems down the
line.

If, however, instead of trying to grasp 7 billion, we would
concentrate on our own infinitely smaller communities, we might
develop a clearer picture of what lies ahead.

Let's focus on Lodi, where I lived from 1986 to 2008, which was
once a small agricultural community. The projections I'll make in
my column in terms of growth percentage and the conclusions I draw
from Lodi's probable decline in quality of life because of
population pressures would apply anywhere in America.

Twenty-five years ago, when I first moved to Lodi, its
population was 52,000; today, it's 62,000. To accommodate what may
strike some as relatively modest growth, acres of vineyards were
paved over to make room for more roads, schools, box stores and
housing developments.

Lodi reflected California's overall population increases. In
1990, the state had nearly 30 million residents; today, 38 million.
Up and down the state, the same ineffective short-term, Band-Aid
solutions failed. While officials authorized more building
everywhere, the quality of life became less and less enjoyable.

A year ago, the News-Sentinel provided residents a chance to
peer into 2040 by analyzing what one of the town's major
thoroughfares will look like three decades from today. Now a
two-lane road that runs along Lodi's south side, Harney Lane will
eventually expand to four lanes. In the process of building a major
east-west connector to Highway 99, plans for the city to acquire 47
pieces of private property are underway. In the interim, according
to the News-Sentinel's December story, adjoining roads on the east
and west side of Harney Lane will be widened. Also under
consideration is an overpass.

While Harney Lane is being expanded, thousands of commuters who
travel along that route on their way to the major highways that
lead north to Sacramento or south to Stockton will be stuck in
day-long, bumper-to-bumper tie-ups.

Then, the ultimate irony, 30 years from now when the project is
complete, Lodi will have grown by another 10,000 or more residents
and the entire never-ending process will have to repeat itself.

Anyone thinking about addressing the nation's massive problems
of traffic congestion, air pollution, increasing water and energy
demands, conversion of prime agricultural land, loss of wildlife
habitat and open space, housing affordability, school overcrowding
and a host of other critical issues, must forthrightly address
over-population if they hope to make any headway.

Joe Guzzardi now lives in Pittsburgh, where the rate of
population growth is flat. Contact him at
guzzjoe@yahoo.com.